LOOK: Kansas State pulls off crazy feat while earning first half lead vs. Kentucky

The Kansas State Wildcats were leading the Kentucky Wildcats 29-26 at halftime of their second-round matchup of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are vying were a spot in the Sweet Sixteen, and Kansas State pulled off a remarkably impressive feat with their shot selection in the first half. Kansas State managed to score 29 points by scoring 24 of those points in very close proximity to the bucket. They weren’t shy about getting the ball into the painted area and attempting to send in some spectacular dunks.

K-State's shot chart, per @ESPNStatsInfo

my word pic.twitter.com/Gco9gIcf2B

— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) March 19, 2023

It’s certainly one of the more impressive shot charts you’ll ever see. How many times can you say that a team went 0-13 on jump shots and 0-12 from three-point range, but still lead the game? That’s extremely rare. Sunday afternoon’s game has been a battle and Kansas State has had some spectacular alley oops.

Kansas State ended up winning the game 75-69 and punching their tickets to the Sweet 16, their first appearance since 2018. The game was nationally televised on CBS. It was a high-energy game with plenty of highlight reel plays and both teams gave tremendous effort in a back-and-forth, hard-fought matchup. There were several lead changes throughout and it certainly was one of the more entertaining matchups of the tournament thus far.

Kansas State has had trouble with Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, just like everybody else in the country has for the past two seasons. He was once again been a monster on the glass, racking up a double-double in the first half alone. He racked up double-doubles in both games in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Check out the graphic from CBS Sports below.

Oscar Tshiebwe has had 10+ rebounds in ALL three halves this NCAA Tournament 💪 @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/v9YzDB2wr1

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 19, 2023

Kansas State advanced to the Round of 32 after they defeated 14-seeded Montana State by double digits, 77-65. Their superstar Markquis Nowell had a double-double, pouring in 17 points and dishing out 14 assists in the win. He’s also performed brilliantly in Sunday’s game against Kentucky, pouring in 27 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing two rebounds.

Kentucky advanced to the Round of 32 after they defeated the Providence Friars, 61-53. Tshiebwe had another spectacular performance on the glass in the victory, grabbing 25 rebounds. He finished his college basketball career as one of the greatest rebounders in history, no question about it.

With the win, Kansas State will face the winner of the Michigan State/Marquette game in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, March 23. The matchup will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.